BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer has said all along that the Hokies are young and a work in progress.
He hopes to see lots of that progress Saturday when they host surprising Boston College.
“I said at the very beginning, we’re going to go through some growing pains, and we are,” Beamer said this week. But, he added, “We’re far enough along that it needs to be fewer growing pains.”
The Hokies (4-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) are trying to rebound from consecutive Thursday night losses at Pittsburgh and at home against Miami. The latter dropped their record at home to just 2-3.
Beamer said they are close to being a lot better than their record.
“I think the effort’s good. The want-to is good. We’ve got guys who have put a lot into this and our main focus for us this week is to continue to get better,” he said this week. “We’re going to have to.”
Boston College (5-3, 2-2) has won all three of its road games to date and find itself one victory shy of being bowl-eligible. Coach Steve Addazio expects playing at Lane Stadium to present a challenge.
“We have played on the road in silent games and we have operated that pretty effectively,” he said of their victories at Massachusetts, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. “So we’ve done a few of those things that make you feel a little better. You certainly would hate for this to be your first road trip, but nevertheless, it doesn’t lessen the impact of the rough crowd that you’re going down to play in front of. Really, I should say passionate. It’s a very passionate crowd, about football and their team.”
The Eagles beat Virginia Tech 34-27 last season, and this year are led by quarterback Tyler Murphy, who is third in the ACC and second among all quarterbacks nationally with 105 rushing yards per game.
Here are things to watch when Boston College visits Virginia Tech:
MURPHY’S LAW: Virginia Tech has had issues stopping running quarterbacks this season with Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas running for 165 yards against them, Pittsburgh’s Chad Voytik running for 118 yards and North Carolina’s Marquise Williams running for 94. They also gave up 364 rushing yards, their highest total ever under Beamer, last week in their 30-6 loss to Miami. Tyler Murphy arrives Saturday.
MISTAKES: Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer has thrown 11 interceptions and the Hokies have lost six fumbles. They lost three in as many possessions to start the second half against Miami and are sure to have worked extensively on ball security because they can’t afford many empty possessions.
HOME FIELD EDGE: Maybe Hokies fans were spoiled by those eight consecutive years of 10 or more wins, but that streak ended three years ago. Their 93-game sellout streak ended last season, and the stands were pretty empty by the fourth quarter of their blowout loss to the Hurricanes. Boston College has won more games on the road than at home, and in two fewer tries. Will Lane Stadium be fan friendly?
Michigan AD Dave Brandon resigns
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon resigned Friday, setting the stage for new leadership at the top of one of the nation’s most prominent athletic departments.
Brandon’s departure comes amid another disappointing football season and concerns over the school’s handling of everything from its concussions protocol to student attendance at games. Football coach Brady Hoke’s future has been in doubt for a while thanks to his team’s lack of progress, but Brandon also became a target of disgruntled fans and students.
“This morning I accepted the resignation of athletic director David Brandon,” school President Mark Schlissel said at a news conference. “Dave feels that it would be in the best interest of our student-athletes, the athletic department and the university community if he moved on to other challenges and allowed the important work of the department and the university to continue without daily distractions. I agree with this decision.”
Schlissel officially took over in September and a month later said he wanted to do an in-depth review of Michigan athletics. Displeasure with Brandon and Hoke was already mounting at that point, with the football team struggling and the department under sharp criticism for its handling of quarterback Shane Morris’ head injury in a Sept. 27 game against Minnesota. Morris was allowed to play briefly after a hard hit.
Brandon’s resignation becomes official Saturday, and the university has agreed to pay him a total of $3 million through 2018.
The timing of Brandon’s departure gives Michigan a chance to find a replacement by the end of the football season, when a decision on Hoke’s status could come. But Schlissel indicated he would take as long as necessary to find a new athletic director.
Jim Hackett, who graduated from the university in 1977 and like Brandon played football for Michigan, was appointed interim AD on Friday.
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